The send off - KLIA

Had one of my best flight yet on the Emerates Airbus which my son booked me on as a pleasent surprise and he added that I should check the back of the Plane and sure enough there was rouble waiting there in the form of an exquisite bar. The little bar tender was from Argentina by the name of Diego.

I was sent off by four beautiful people including my daughter and it was the way to go as i could not have asked for any better.

Any chance of this guy being my son in law hmm.. we will se how much money he can make selling his body building supplements in th next few years or what my daughter has in store for him. I like him though from the first time I met him at one of my nieces wedding.
 

AHH... to be young.

The Malaysian Don Johnson look made up my travelling outfit seeing that I am flying Businees Class, dont ask what Business as it is none of your abusiness.

I was sent off to the aiport by my daughter and her friends, Muna, Ariff, Asri all MMu students. while waiting for the right time we sat and had coffee at the Old Town White Coffee corner which to me was a total dissappointment. It defies my intelligence how such a name brand establishment could operate with such low quality service while charging arm and legs for a cup of coffee. When we arrived I had noticed that there was hardly two tables occupied by other customers so the place was less than bury. Then I also noticed that they had four or five young guys serving or suppose to serve but nonne made any effort to approach our table. The we found out after waving our arms and legs for attention that we were suppose to go up tho the counter and order ourselves. Then we sit and wait for this supposedly way out of this world brew of white coffee. I surely hope that not all their outlets elsewhere is like this and ironically this is supposed to be the model outlet as it sits at the airport and charges airport price. Nope, not again.

Dinner with the MMU Kids.

Dinner with the MMU students at The Hamurabi Yemeni Restaurant in Cyberjaya. They say that all left handed guys are smart, Arif is left handed but no so smart according to Muna his girl friend. So I said that all left handed guys are creative more like it especially if one can call his old BMW Kasim. Now, who would name his BMW Kssim if not a creative mind.

Can't remember what this lamb dish is called but it was quite delicious.

 It is known in Cyberjaya that the Middle Eastern Drivers are the worse and if one stands at the traffic light here in the morning chances are there will t least be one accident involving someone from the Middle East.I told them that Guys from the Middle East are mostly camel riders, it cannot be helped if they don't drive well.

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Fred (the genius) is from Uganda and I always called him Albert for some odd reason. I told Fred that I am a fan of the late president Idi Amin because he fathered many children. He added , and they are from different mothers. I rest my case.

They call him Apek and he is one to be is such a hurry to get anywhere but he made to the dinner after everyone had finished. He gave a lovely present, a Polo Rugby  type sweater, it made my day as Dubai might be cld at this time of the year.

A bunch of great kids with high hopes and bright future. It was a good feeling to be hanging out with them.

Fred figuring out what to have although he just had dinner already before getting there, but"I may be small but i can ptut away food no problem."

Those are ivories from the home country Fred, just keep smiling.

If they make these bread any bigger I will take it home and use it as a blanket.

Last man eating, he gets ll the left overs. Now I am all set to take the cold wind in Dubai.

On the road to Dubai.

Putra Jaya , the nerve center of the Malaysian Government Agencies and the trophy that is being sought by opposition parties in the upcoming election. I arrived here on the Plus Liner bussline yesterday enroute to catch my flight to Dubai. I came a few days earlier so I can spend sometime with my daughter at the nearby town of Cyberjaya; more or less a college town. Three lovely young ladies my daughter and her two friends, Fini and Muna. We had lunch at the Alamanda Food Court and I did some shopping, something  to wear on the plane so the Pilot (my son) when he comes to fetch me at the Airport in Dubai will not raise his eyebrows or wrinkle his nose.
My daughter shares an apartment with three or four other ladies and a kitten a manifestation of one of my bad past Karmic consequences; I am allergic to cat hairs.It is not that I hate the feline species but I just have too many bad memories; like running over one kitten on my birthday as my family were pulling out of the garage one day to go to Pizza Hut for a dinner celebration or having to put to sleep a cat that was suffering beyond hope it took several hours before she died after I jabbed her full of formaldehyde  or having to care for some 24 cats for my late wife's sake. No I love cats but too much bad karma and it somehow causes me to react in the for of itchy throat and sneezes the moment I enter a house that has cats. I ask for forgiveness to the feline Gods for having wronged the specie in this lifetime.
For my reading material while on this trip I bought a book " Losing My Virginity" by Richard Branson, the number one National Best seller, an autobiography. Branson has been one of those characters that had attracted my attention as someone who i always thought would be an interesting man to learn what makes him tick. What drove him or what inspired him;  what is real and what is hype.Another character that had attracted my attention in the past ironically on my trip to Dubai was Lance Armstrong the Ex -7 times Tour De France Champion.However his recent fall from grace due to drug use was hard to swallow; what would Branson's Achilles Heel be? These to me are Mavericks who took life into their own hands and created their own empires by hook or by crook; The had their dreams and visions and set about accomplishing the impossible in the most unorthodox ways; their lives are exemplary for younger generations to emulate if they can skip the judgemental part: Morgan the Pirate is one of the most famous or Pirates in the history of Piracy. The essence of the Ying and Yang Principle, good exist within evil and evil is a seed within good; too extreme a goodness becomes evil and too extreme an evil becomes good: or there is inherent goodness in evil as there inherent evil in goodness.
It is sad today that not too many younger people enjoy reading as they are more attracted to the trappings of modern mental distractions in the form of the latest technology available; even if the Internet is a boon to the acquiring of knowledge as anything and everything is at the finger's tip still there is lesser and lesser people are really into good quality reading.
What Cyberjaya and this general area needs is a good public library. The government could do worse than making sure that this college town has a decent library to encourage the public towards the importance of reading or at least a place where students can have excess to a great facility for the purpose of gathering and doing their studies.The library can and should house high quality materials as well excess to the internet facility. It will inadvertently discourage students from hanging out at unsavory places.The library can serve both Cyberjaya and Putra Jaya community.

      

The Third trip to Dubai -

So, back to reality in time and space check; like what next? This morning i booked a Bus seat for Putra Jaya where i hope my daughter will meet me and put me up at her place for a day or two before I am booked on the flight to Dubai. Yes! back to Dubai to seek whatever it is that is in store for me as an artist. Penang or even Malaysia is dry, it seems like no luck whatsoever in making a dime here and one has to settle for the starving artist routine. I hope Dubai will be a little more rewarding as far my artworks are concern; but then again past experience has not really been that great either.
Oh well cant be thinking too much in terms of financial benefits even if it seems like it is all there is to think about in this day and age; it is a bloody shame.So I am setting my mind on a higher vision than just matting out a living  I will try to get a little spiritual as well as adventurous experience slated into my slot while being there. I know I will have to make some drastic moves in order to make things happen and not just sit on my hands and allow for things to happen. I may be getting old but that does not mean that my brain has petrified and my will has gone sour; no, I will make things happen one way or another and at the same time allow for things to manifest at their own pace if and when needed to; the Bahari Spirit is still alive and well and the Good Lord has not written him out yet. I hope the road will rise and meet me and the wind will blow from behind me and push me towards greater heights.
I know I have no means of leaving behind for my children large amount of money or property like most people but I at least would like to leave behind a legacy of one who roams the earth in the effort of finding himself and share all that I have found for better or for worse.The good Lord has opened many doors for me in the past through my genuine believe in my cause; simple put making sense out of all the non - sense that i have encountered over the past sixty years; Insha' Allah may he grant me a few more worthwhile journeys of "Self Discovery'; somewhere, something, an event ans episode worth sharing with those who have taken time off to follow my blog. Patience I have come to hold is a very formidable virtue, something I had lagged in the past but am beginning to realize as progress in age.Patience and complete faith in the power of the unseen is something one has to experience in order to appreciate it is not something that can be talk of just as an idea. When you have understood these two virtues you are armed to accomplish through your passion for living life to the max.
I notice with sadness and concern that too many young men and women has given up hope even before they try at making their lives worth living; most I have encountered have settled for the well worn and familiar roads rather than take the chance of roads less traveled; most it seems are not willing to make the sacrifice and leave their comfort zones of home and family; the Samsung and Black Berry gizmos have become their tools of escape from reality. Most have failed to pick up the challenge of the wilderness yet waiting to be explored; the wilderness within and without of their minds. Most have no desire or passion to discover for themselves what they are made and are capable of as humans; their windows of opportunity lies only in what is fed them by the day to day humdrum that they are fed with by the mass media and religious constrictions.It is sad when the mind is not challenged towards a more creative and productive manifestation due to a lack of passion and fear of the unknown; or simply because their feet are being nailed to the floors of boredom and distractions.
I am ever greatefull to my son who has on many occasions opened new avenues for me to venture out and the rest of my children who are always there to support me with no judgement of what I do.My trip to Dubai this time I hope will lead me on to other trips that I had envisioned of taking before i exit this life. May the Good Lord ever be merciful  and compassionate in looking out for my well being as He had always done in the past....Amen!  

Chong Hon Fatt - Retrospective 2012

One of the most genuinely dedicated painter and someone who has gained my utmost respect and friendship. A man who works i admire and whose manner i have come to respect had his Retrospective show at the Penang State Art Gallery.

Way down South - Fort Bowie

Seventeen Jerry Sule decided he had had enough of adventure, sleeping in the tent and roaming around the South West with no plan in mind; or perhaps he was simply homesick for Green Bay, Wisconsin. So we decided to drive him to the nearest Greyhound Bus station which was in El Paso, Texas. We could have found one closer to Deming but I felt like taking a trip as far south as i could get and this gave me an opportunity; so i can say I was in the state of Texas once or that we crossed the Rio Grande from New Mexico into Texas.

After dropping Jerry off at the bus station i set off on my own headed West on Highway 10 towards Tucson in Arizona. Along the way I would camp along the roadside most of the time hidden from the Highway in some bushes when evening fell.
One of my memorable experience while camping off the road was sitting by a small river there in front of me was a small hot spring; just a small hole alongside the river bed enough for a body to lie in it. As the sun set and darkness fell I sat facing a small fire I had built and after sometime I began to feel like i was being watched from behind. on both sides of the the river were low hills with tall grass like vegetation and the light from the fire had lit up the surrounding area and it was surrealistic in beauty. I was afraid for sometime to turn my head and look what was behind me but eventually mastering my fear I turned and what i saw gave a startle as there were six pairs of eyes staring back at me from the hill slope. In a neat line six deer stood perfectly still staring back at me. We stared at each other for some time and then as I reached for my camera the deer family bounded up into the darkness of the hill. When they left i felt alone, me and the sound of running water and a fire slowly burning out.

 my next major stopover was the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is located in southern Arizona, south of Ajo, west of Tucson, and east of Yuma. I dont remember whee i got the idea in those days but I had the understanding that this was where the great Chiricahua Indian Chiefs  Cochis, Naches and Chato had their camps and so i was bound and determine to pay my respects to my old Heroes. The whole area of tall boulders standing upright really reminded one of Organ Pipes. There were small dried river beds which I believe during a rainfall in the area flash floods were frequent. I sat and did some sketching of the area and took many pictures. Meditating in the wilderness like this was what i had traveled for, I wanted to feel rather than see what was there. It is sad that I have lost most of my notes and pictures of my journey but somethings once experienced can never be forgotten.

Biography
Cochise (or "Cheis") was one of the most famous Apache leaders (along with Geronimo and Mangas Coloradas) to resist intrusions by Americans during the 19th century. He was described as a large man (for the time), with a muscular frame, classical features, and long black hair which he wore in traditional Apache style. He was about 1.78 m (5'10") tall and weighed about 175 lbs.^[2] In his own language, his name "Cheis" meant "having the quality or strength of oak."^[3]
Cochise and the Chokonen-Chiricahua lived in the area that is now the northern Mexican region of Sonora, New Mexico, and Arizona, which they had moved into sometime before the coming of the Europeans.^[4] As Spain and later Mexico attempted to gain dominion over their lands, the various Chiricahua groups became increasingly resistant. Cycles of warfare developed, which the Apaches mostly won. Eventually, the Spanish tried a different approach; they tried to make the Apaches dependent (thereby placating them) upon poor-quality firearms and liquor rations issued by the colonial government (this was called the "Galvez Peace Policy"). After Mexico wrested control of the territory from Spain, and didn't have the resources (and/or possibly the will) to continue it, the practice was ended. It had worked for quite a number of years, but the various Chiricahua bands resumed traditional raiding to acquire what they needed after the Mexicans no longer made provisions for them (in the 1830s).
As a result, the Mexican government began a series of military operations in order to either capture or neutralize the Chiricahuas, but they were fought to a standstill by the Apaches. As part of their attempts at controlling the Chiricahuas, Mexican forces began to kill Apache civilians. Oftentimes this would be accomplished with the help of American and Native American mercenaries, and paying bounties for scalps was not uncommon. Cochise's father was one of these victims. This hardened Cochise's resolve and gave the Chiricahuas Apaches more rationale for vengeance. Mexican forces did capture Cochise at one point in 1848 during an Apache raid on Fronteras, Sonora, but they exchanged him for nearly a dozen Mexican prisoners.


My next destination was Fort Bowie where i was told there was a grave site for Geronimo's wife and child killed by the the Whiteman. The trip itself was long and beautiful as i drove with the Sonoran desert laid out on my left and the mountains on my right. I felt like an adventurer making a long journey of discovery in the deep southwest of the United States; my and my Chevy Impala. The whether was not too hot as it was in winter and driving along with the windows rolled down I felt freedom.


  Naches Son of Cochise

Fort Bowie was a 19th century outpost of the United States Army located in southeastern Arizona 
near the present day town of Willcox, Arizona.

Fort Bowie was established in 1862 after a series of engagements between the U.S. Military
 and the Chiricahua Apaches. The most violent of which was the Battle of Apache Pass.
The fort was named in honor of Colonel George Washington Bowie commander of the 5th California Infantry
who first established the fort. The first Fort Bowie resembled more of a temporary camp than
a permanent army post. In 1868, a second, more substantial Fort Bowie was built which included
adobe barracks, houses, corrals, a trading post, and a hospital. The second Fort Bowie was built
 on a plateau about 300 yards (270 m) to the southeast of the first site. For more than 30 years
 Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually culminating
 in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama.
The fort was abandoned in 1894.

I must apologize for having to depend on the information provided by the Wikipedia as mentioned earlier most of what I had captured through pictures and sketches have long gone missing.my feelings as i stood over the small insignificantly marked graves of Geronimo's wife and son was etched into my mind as to the sadness and the pain of struggle these indigenous people must have endured. The Chiricahuan nation survived the harshness of their environment but succumbed  to the onslaught of the Whiteman

"Oh the History books tells it, they tell it so well,

The Calvary charge, the Indians Fell,

The Calvary charge the Indians died,

But the country was young then,

With God on its side."

                                                                         Lyrics by Bob Dylan

In Search for Geronimo - "One who yawns"

After my encounters at the City of Rocks Jerry and I headed further south towards the town of Silver City, NM where we would check out the Gila National Monument where the great native American Chief, Geronimo of the Chiricahua Apache had his hideout.Of all American history I have always been fascinated by the lives of the Native Americans and their history.and so when I read that Geronimo had his hideout in the Gila Forest i was turned on to check it out.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in the Gila Wilderness (The Nation's First Wilderness Area) of southwestern New Mexico. The 533-acre (2.16 km²) national monument was established by executive proclamation on November 16, 1907, by President Theodore Roosevelt.^[2] It is located in the extreme southern part of Catron County. Tourists can access the site by traveling from US 180, from Silver City, New Mexico, to NM 15.



We drove helter skelter looking for ways to get into the monument area as there were not too much information to go by. But we eventually managed to end up at a park ranger office right next tot the face of a cliff with a large river flowing by.We were told that it would soon be closing time and that we had to leave before it gets dark by the only park ranger there and we did. But when it got near dark we decided to reenter the park and do our own exploration as i was bound and determine to find out what was the mystery of this place that Geronimo would chose to make his hideout.
We arrived for the second time late evening and by whatever was left of the light of the setting sun we decided to climb the cliff face straight up towards the cave we had seen earlier.(I laugh at myself today after learning that there are other much easier ways to get up there, 'Which a six year old and a seventy year old can do". But we were in an adventurous mode those days and we did clamber up the cliff  till we got into one of the caves and by then it was getting dark. Jerry who normally was very talkative was quiet for once and I started to question my own sanity over the whole move. There were small noises of creatures here and there that kept us close to each other and with flashlights we managed to get ourselves into the huge cave that reminded me of an overturned cauldron facing the sky. We sat facing the mouth of the cave which was the starlit skies and the only sound other than the little creatures was the rushing of the river way down below us.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed in the beginning till on looking out at the stars i began to realize that the flickering lights from the stars was slowly creeping into the cave roof and the cave was getting brighter and brighter as more lights flickered from the roof face of the cave. Soon the whole cave was lit like there was a fluorescent lamp was turned on somewhere and we could make out everything there.
Jerry and i were shocked beyond believe but we kept quiet not daring to break the silence. We just sat there and after while decided to leave the cave as it was getting late. I realized then that we had stumbled upon a small secret that the native Americans had stumble upon long ago and used to hold pow wows here before taking on the White man.

Geronimo - 1829 - 1909

Geronimo (Mescalero-Chiricahua: Goyaałé [kòjàːɬɛ́] "one who yawns"; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a battle with Mexican soldiers. His Chiricahua name is often rendered as Goyathlay or Goyahkla^[2][3] in English.

After an attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children in 1858, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans.^[4] During his career as a war chief, he was notorious for consistently urging raids upon Mexican Provinces and their towns, and later against American locations across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.^[

We left the monument with a trail of thick blue smoke behind us as the Chevy was in much need of oil and the windy drive up and down the road did not help the engine from burning oil. Sometimes i wonder myself whether what we experienced was a hallucination of our own or some natural phenomena that the crystals in the rock surface had picked up light from the stars or the moon and lit up the cave. Sometimes I even thought that some old Indian Spirit was playing a trick on us simply because we were crazy enough to have made the trip; we deserved something to talk about.